University Police Department teaches women self-defense

A group of women and volunteers from the Athens Area Homeless Shelter spent Wednesday evening screaming, kicking and punching -- and learning that action is better than reaction.

The group of about six women spent the evening participating in a women's safety program sponsored by the University of Georgia Police Department.

With the help of Sgt. Jeff Brantley and Officer Marci Heide, the women learned how to fight an attacker.

''Rape is a deadly force situation ... you do what you have to do to survive,'' Brantley told the women. ''You need to carry that bag of (self-defense) tricks with you at all times.''

The participants practiced several defensive moves on each other during the two-hour workshop.

Heide told the group that one in three women are assaulted at some point in their lives, and that each minute, 1.3 women become victims of rape -- statistics which brought reactions of shock from many of the women.

Wendy Marsh, director of the homeless shelter, said most of the women who enter its doors have experienced violence.

''One of the challenges we face is that almost 100 percent of our women have had violence in their lives,'' Marsh said Wednesday. ''We want them to know its OK to defend themselves.''

At Wednesday's workshop, the women learned techniques for inflicting pain on various parts of the male anatomy.

''Every woman's favorite spot to hurt a man is of course, the groin,'' Brantley said. ''There are three simple steps (to injure the groin) -- grab, twist and rupture.''

One participant jokingly described the move as ''just like a pulling off a chicken wing,'' sending the entire room into laughter.

Wednesday's workshop is part of a changed emphasis at the homeless shelter.

As of July 1, the Barber Street facility has narrowed its services, and is now providing shelter and other programs to single women and families. Prior to the switch, the shelter also had served single men.

Marsh explained Wednesday that the shelter served relatively few single men, and narrowing the facility's focus was designed help single women and families through the transition from homelessness to independence.

''It's more of an opportunity (for women) to become independent rather than a revolving door of dependency,'' Marsh said. ''We've narrowed our focus and expanded our breadth because we wanted a structured program for long-term change.''